Adolescent mothering: assessing their parenting capabilities and their health education needs

Adolescent mothering was investigated in 95 adolescent mothers who were 15-19 years old. Adolescent mothering behavior was found to be related to age of the mother, grade in school, sex of the infant and maintenance of a relationship with the baby's father. Specific deficits were noted in areas of social, emotional and cognitive growth-fostering behavior and in response to infant distress. Health teaching, support, reinforcement and anticipatory guidance were some implications for nursing.